BAMBI KOHLER: In flea market circuit, it's seller beware

By
Katie Bambi Kohler, The Times Herald

Saturday, May 10, 2014

My physical mailbox is filled this time of year with fliers for flea markets. Rent a space once and be on their mailing list forever. When we purchased Tom’s parents’ house, they left most of their things and moved into a small apartment or assisted living.

Most of the furniture had to be trashed since they were both smokers. The rest of the stuff, very much not my style, was flea market fodder that would be used to fund the “Ikea starter package” that most new homeowners in my situation can afford.

My grandmother used to be an antique dealer so I employed her — with coffee and donuts — to help me. Unlike me, my mother-in-law was a pack rat, so there were plenty of bric-a-brac and seasonal decorations to sell. She was also a Tupperware saleswoman, which resulted in a dozen garbage bags filled with the original pistachio green or burnt orange pieces.

I did all the physical labor while Grandmom dictated where to set up everything and what prices to put on the labels. My brother dropped off some of his old video games for me to sell for him.

That spring and following fall Grandmother and I did four flea markets. Here is what I learned from my short lived stint on the circuit.

1) The early bird may catch the worm, but they are really annoying. Before I could unpack the boxes from my car there is a man digging through it. He pulls on his glasses to inspect items closer and houses a notebook in his pocket protector. He isn’t depending on luck like some people from “Antiques Roadshow” who just so happened to find this rare painting in the attic. He is a shark. He knows what to look for. I have friends who had yard sales and these same people would knock on their doors an hour before the sale start and ask to preview their items.

2) The “Do you have something valuable that you can sell me for next to nothing?” person. They don’t phrase it exactly like that. It’s usually, “Do you have any old trains?” or “Any baseball cards pre-1970?”

Once I actually responded, “Why Yes! I just found this old box buried in my back yard. It’s filled with old coins and a Honus Wagner baseball card.”

The customer — not fluent in sarcasm — lit up until Grandmother went into a laughing fit.

3) People seem to misunderstand the art of haggling. I understand you want to flash your seldom-used haggling skill. But when something is priced at a quarter, reach into your pocket and hand over that shiny coin. Do not ask, “Can you do a dime?”

4) Bring change. Yes, vendors should come prepared, but there is always that customer that will pay with a $20 bill for an item that’s 50 cents.

5) “Does this game/puzzle have all the pieces?” My humble fold-out table is not Toys R Us or a start-up business. It’s crap I don’t want anymore or in my case — my in-laws’ crap. And it’s a dollar. Do you think it has all the pieces?

6) Video games are like tractor beams for customers. While I struggled to make a sale, my brother, who was still sleeping, sold all his games. Kids and grown men felt the pull of last year’s “Madden” or “Call of Duty.” Their wives and mothers wanted to know what could distract their men from nagging them to go home, thus setting up the “revenge buy.”

‘Sure, you can buy another video game,” she says while grabbing a porcelain angel.

“Honey, you have five just like that,”

“How many video games do you need?”

7) It is easier to sell a thing that’s not yours. I am in no way telling you to go on a crime spree and set up shop for your “hot” goods at the local church flea market. I had to sell my in-laws stuff since I didn’t want it in my own house.

8) Which leads me to the last hour of the flea market: the “Everything Must Go Sale.” I didn’t want to have to pack the stuff up and bring it back home, so I discounted everything to 50 cents. Can I do a quarter? Sure! Can I do a dime? No, I’d rather donate it to Goodwill.

Katie Bambi Kohler is a Norristown native and a current resident of King of Prussia. Visit her blog at www.cheesesteakprincess.blogspot.com. Email kkohler1129@gmail.com, Follow on Twitter @chzstkprincess.